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Despite repeated attempts to breach Russia’s border regions, Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups continue to suffer heavy losses in failed infiltration operations. The daily attacks continue in different directions but bring the same result. Ukrainian forces have intensified cross-border operations in recent weeks, targeting Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts with small-unit attacks. However, Russian defenses, bolstered by drone surveillance and rapid reaction units, are successfully repelling the incursions with no territorial penetration.
One of the latest operations of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups was reported near the border village of Kozinki in Belgorod region, where about 12 Ukrainian soldiers reportedly attempted to cross the border through marshlands under cover of reeds. Russian border forces detected the incursion and stopped the enemy with drone strikes, reportedly killing four Ukrainians and forcing the survivors to retreat wounded back into Sumy region. Among the abandoned equipment was a GoPro camera, documenting the doomed operation. The result of the operation is yet to be confirmed by other sources, but the footage confirms that the Ukrainian command is sending soldiers to death in risky operations in Russian rear in order to declare at least some victories on Russian soil.
Footage from the Kozinki raid revealed Ukrainian fighters armed with American M249 PARA light machine guns, underscoring Western arms proliferation in these operations. Yet despite advanced equipment, Ukrainian units fail to achieve any victories.
Last night, in Kursk region, Russian drone operators intercepted and destroyed another Ukrainian assault group from the 24th Separate Assault Battalion near the Ryzhivka-Tyotkino sector. Similarly, near Novy Put, a mechanized Ukrainian detachment from the 425th Assault Regiment was struck by artillery after being detected advancing from Pavlovka. These operations follow a pattern of high-risk, low-reward tactics that have so far failed to destabilize Russia’s border defenses.
One particularly ill-fated assault involved a column of quad bikes advancing across a field only to be decimated by Russian FPV drones. Another attempted nighttime infiltration using a Nissan SUV was thwarted when Russian drone operators pinpointed and destroyed the vehicle near the border.
While Kyiv frames these operations as efforts to “destabilize” Russian logistics, the tactical results suggest otherwise. Ukrainian DRGs consistently face heavy casualties with no territorial gains. Russian military analysts note that these raids—while frequent—have so far only succeeded in stretching Ukrainian resources without achieving meaningful breakthroughs. With Russian forces now pushing into Sumy region from the east, Ukraine’s border operations risk becoming a costly distraction rather than a strategic threat. LINK
